March Madness in Las Vegas

With watch parties, jerseys and shirts adorned with college logos, and visitors from all over the country, the first days of March Madness in Las Vegas is the ultimate sports betting celebration.

Whether you refer to it as March Madness in Las Vegas or the variations used by many casino resorts and bars (i.e. Hoops Madness, March Hoopla, etc.), the opening weekend of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is the most exciting 4-day period for Las Vegas sports books and venues around town showing the games or throwing watch parties. Given that March Madness in Las Vegas falls right at the start of spring break as well as the kickoff of pool season, the town is buzzing with energy and just about every sports book in town is jam packed, with casino floors that are equally as lively.

March Madness in Las Vegas festivities kicked off on Thursday morning and continued through the weekend. Here’s a look at some of the fun from the “kickoff,” or should I say “tip off” of March Madness in Las Vegas.

The D Party in the Ballroom had a Nice Morning Crowd for the Start of March Madness in Vegas

A nice thing about the watch party at the D is that it’s lively, yet getting a seat (or seats) is relatively easy. William Hill betting stations were set up in the ballroom and the line to bet moved quickly. There were also black jack and craps tables with nice HD screens directly adjacent in order to catch the game while you “rolled them bones.”

Breakfast Tacos in The D Ballroom from a Downtown Favorite – Nacho Daddy

Nacho Daddy and American Coney set up food areas in The D ballroom – the breakfast tacos were a hit amongst the hoops fans catching the games. Hopefully, Notre Dame not covering the spread didn’t leave too many in the crowd with heartburn.

Nice Crowd for March Madness in Vegas at Bally’s

Most sports books on the strip were jam packed on the first day of March Madness in Vegas. Bally’s set up additional seating just outside of their sports book and the hoops fans filled up the space by mid morning. The sports book bar had beer specials going and the adjacent food court contained the usual food court suspects – all of the Sbarro pizza and Nathan’s hot dogs you could handle.

Line for Westgate Theater Hoops Central

Hoops Central at the 1,500 seat Westgate Theater continues to be one of the more popular spots in Vegas for March Madness. The line to enter the theater was substantial approximately an hour before tip off of the opening game of the tournament, but once the theater opened, the hoops fans quickly moved into the theater, which was at capacity. Seats were available later in the day however.

Hoops Central at Westgate Theater – Great Atmosphere for March Madness.

The set up in the Westgate Theater is hard to beat. With a very fun atmosphere, cheap food and beer specials, great screens, and stereo sound – this may be very well the best free or paid March Madness watch party in all of Las Vegas. A must stop over opening weekend of the tourney if you are in Vegas.

First Big Upset of the Tournament - Georgia State with a Last Minute Win over Baylor

First Big Upset of the Tournament – Georgia State with a Last Second Win over Baylor

The fist big upset of the day was Georgia State besting Baylor on a last second three-pointer. That wasn’t the only big moment for bettors during March Madness in Vegas – the crowd went crazy several times during last second point spread covers on day 1.

Some Happy Hoops Fans Found a Great Spot at the Linq Sports Book (MMILV Facebook Group)

One Vegas spot that didn’t get a lot of buzz prior to March Madness was the Linq. Between Cosmopolitan’s Hoops and Hops Party to all of the man cave set ups at several of the Caesars properties, the former Imperial Palace/Quad wasn’t mentioned much. Based on a lot of feedback via social media, The Linq and connected TAG bar came away as the “dark horse” winner amongst Vegas strip locations for catching March Madness. John Dever and his group of friends (Louisville and Kentucky fans) set up camp at The Linq sports book. Pizza, beer, hoops, and sports betting…..ahhh yes.

SouthPoint’s $10,000 Hoops Contest Resulted in 2 Winners

The South Point had a $10,000 Hoops Contest over the first 2 days of March Madness in Las Vegas. On day 1, two winners went 15-1 (straight up, no spread) and split the $10,000 pot. I didn’t come close, but I did score a delicious South Point sports book hot dog to drain my sorrow over what could have been.

The opening days of March Madness in Vegas has become the best weekend on the calendar for the sports book fan. Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, and NFL kickoff weekend are all great – but March Madness in Vegas is the undisputed champion.

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